This document provides an overview of a life science class unit on heredity and the inheritance of traits. It outlines the day's activities, which include discussing traits versus alleles, designing a hypothetical designer classroom pet by selecting and combining traits from different species, and reflecting on the challenges of owning such a chimera as a real pet. Students are asked to draw and describe their ideal pet, selecting traits to modify and explaining the advantages of their creation.

1. Life Science
Unit 1 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of traits

2. Bell Work
1) Which one of these moths is
heterozygous?
2) What is the recessive allele in
this situation?
3) What is the phenotype of
moth B?
If you have your phone with a QR code reader handy….Get it out. Scan the QR code at front
table…
A
B
C

3. Welcome!
Itinerary
 Bell Work
 Heredity: Inheritance and
Variation of Traits – Traits activity
 Mark your Agendas:
ManipulatAIRS Lab report
DUE TODAY – Staple your
design sheets to your or
your parter’s Lab report.
 By the end of today you should :
 Be familiar with the language of heredity
or be able to access sources that enable
you to learn unit vocabulary

4. Clarifying Traits vs. Alleles
Recall that a trait is
Alleles are
Ex:
Earwax – wet or dry?
A characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes.
Alternative forms of a gene for each variation of a trait of an organism.
EW.
Eye ColorAbility to roll tongueSkin Color

5. Why Hello There!
4 minutes
End
Look at the person across from you
Give them a high give. (Fist bump if you are
super hip…wave awkwardly if you are super
shy…)
Identify AS MANY TRAITS AS POSSIBLE in 4
minutes.

6. Voting On Our Classroom Pet
 What kind of pet are we going with? Let’s decide.

7. Trait Similarities
Notice that among related animals, general traits are similar.
(i.e. all of the Elephant varieties had 4 legs, a trunk and tusks)
But what if we COULD genetically alter a pet to produce a new
species with the traits of several species? What would your
ideal designer pet be??

8. Choosing a base pet
Discuss at your table ideas for a base pet. If you have your
phone, scan the QR codes at the front if you didn’t already.
What pet do we want to use as the class pet? Join the
discussion on Today’s meet.
I’d like to end up with this being our class mascot. Really spend
some time thinking of good ideas for your animal that will
represent the class!

9. Choosing traits
We want to alter 7 traits for our pet.
What are your ideas for traits? Post them to Today’s meet.
A.) Animal size
B.) Body covering (skin? scales? Armor?
C.) Number of arms/legs
D.) Coloration
E.) Number of eyes
F.) Type of tail
G.) Hand/Foot type

10. Pick your traits
Make your choices for YOUR INDIVIDUAL animal.
Draw your perfect pet
Name your perfect pet species
Describe your pet in detail, focusing on:
 traits from the original species that you changed
Why you feel that your traits are more beneficial. What are the
advantages of your pet over the original?

11. Exit Slip Reflection:
Take a look at your picture.
What are the possible problems or disadvantages of owning
this pet in reality? Be specific.

12. Today’s Meet Codes:
2nd Period 3rd Period 4th Period

13. Today’s Meet Codes:
5th Period 6th Period